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Clock by William Allam, London, c. 1750 — view 1 of 3
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Clock by William Allam, London, c. 1750

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
William Allam (maker)
Date
c. 1750
Historical period
Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
Country of origin
England
Place
London
Object type
Clock
Dimensions
Height 12.5 cm
Dealer
Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London
Stock no.
SKU 279
Credit line
Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 279)
Catalogue title (original)
WILLIAM ALLAM. A fine miniature lantern timepiece with alarm. (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 279), this is a clock by William Allam, made in London, England, dated c. 1750. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Clocks collection. Recorded dimensions: Height 12.5 cm. The record is illustrated with 3 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Howard Walwyn

A fine miniature lantern timepiece with alarm and retaining its original oak travelling case with two dome topped brass weights. The 3 ½ inch arched brass dial has a raised Roman silvered brass chapter ring, central alarm disc with Arabic numerals and a subsidiary dial in the arch for the maker’s signature: Willm Allam, London . The dial corners are exquisitely engraved with foliate decoration in place of the more usual applied raised corner spandrels. The dial centre is matted and it retains its original finely wrought blued steel single hand. The short duration plated movement retains its original crownwheel verge escapement and alarm train. Remarkably the clock has survived with its original bespoke oak and cloth lined travelling case and is illustrated on page 353 of Brian Loomes’ book Lantern Clocks and Their Makers. Height of dial plate : 5 in (12.5 cm) * William Allam was working in Bond Street, London in the mid to late 18 th century. He was a member of the Clockmakers’ Company from 1743 to 1785. HW5850

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

The age of the deadbeat escapement, compensated pendulums and observatory regulators. Domestic clocks spread through the middle classes: English longcase and bracket clocks, French gilt-bronze mantel clocks, Viennese Biedermeier wall clocks, Black Forest painted-shield clocks, and the first American shelf clocks.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Lantern, chamber and Gothic clocks

Domestic weight-driven clocks were made in southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Flanders from the fifteenth century. These 'Gothic' or chamber clocks have an open iron frame with corner posts, a verge escapement controlled by a foliot or balance wheel, and often an alarm or hour striking on a bell mounted above.

In England the lantern clock appeared around 1600: a brass posted-frame clock with a bell on top under decorative frets, hung on a hook or set on a wall bracket. After about 1658 many were converted to pendulum control, so originality of the escapement is a key question for any surviving example.

What to look for

  • Iron (continental) or brass (English) posted frames with turned corner pillars and finials.
  • A single hour hand — minute hands are rare before the pendulum era.
  • Evidence of conversion: plugged holes, replaced escapement wheels or later pendulums.
  • Fret designs and engraving on the dial centre, which help date English lantern clocks.

Dating clues

  • Continental Gothic chamber clocks: c. 1450–1650.
  • English lantern clocks: c. 1600–1720, with provincial examples later.
  • Short 'bob' pendulum conversions after 1658; long pendulums with anchor escapement after c. 1670.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:FoliotAnchor (recoil) escapement

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